Separating apparatus for alfalfa-grinders.



' No. 806,488. a PATE NTED DEC. 5, 1905.

G. H. PAYNE.

SEPARATING APPARATUS FOR ALFALPA GRINDERS.

' APPLICATION I'ILEI) APR. 15, 1905. I

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" 7; 4 F? /ahw No. 806,488. 4 PATENTED DEC. 5, 1905.

v I G. H. PAYNE.

SEPARATING APPARATUS FOR ALFALFA GRINDERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1905.

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- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. A g GEORGE H. PAY E, OF OMAHA, NEBRASK -'SEPARAT|NG APPARATUS FOR ALFALFA-GBINDEBS- Specification of Letters Patent.

ljatented Dec. 5, 1905.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, GEORGE H. PAYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha,

in the county of Douglas and State of Nen braska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separating Apparatus for Alfalfa-Grinders, of which the following is a.

pebbles, sand, stone, nails, pieces of rock, or

metal substances, which, from gathering the crop from the harvest-field or in transportation to the mill, often become mixed with the raw material before it is ready to be prepared as alfalfa food. Various methods for the separation of the small foreign substances have heretofore been resorted to by those who have exploited the reduction of the alfalfahay into a powdered or pulverized condition, but generallywith ill success.

The object of this invention is to provide an absolutely reliable and efficient means for the separation of particles of rock, pebbles, nails, bits of wire, sand, or other small heavy substances from the alfalfa raw material during the process of its manufacture into meal,

and before pulverization, so that the substances will be prevented from entering into the food product or into the grinding machinery, also to provide a means so that these foreign and objectionable substances may be separated. and removed quickly and without the loss attending a manual handling of the material and without shutting down themill.

With these objects in view my invention presents many novel features of construction and'arrangement of'parts; and it consists, of

the matters hereinafter described,-and more fully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In. the drawings,-Figure 1 is a vertical plan View of a connecting-receptacle, a part of its wall being torn away to show interior construction. 'Fig. 2is the sliding member. Fig. 3 is a view of the bottom of the connectingreceptacle with the sliding member in position. Fig. 4: is a bottom view of the receptae cle, the sliding member being removed. Fig. 5 is a sideview of the receptacle, all sectional except at each end, to'illustrate the relative positions of the movable cross-partitions.

Fig. 6 is a-vertical sectional end view of the receptacle to illustrate mode of attachment of the sliding member upon the receptacle and one of the series of cross-partitions.-

In Fig. 1, which illustrates my complete invention, air from ablower is driven through the pipe 1, passing through the receptacle 2 and thereafter upward through the pipe 3, the velocity or force being sufficiently great to carry all of the cut alfalfa-hay from a point below and where it has been cut into one-half to three-quarter inch lengths to and through the upper pipe, and thence to other and more delicate pulverizing machinery than it had before reached. The incoming and finely-cut alfalfa comes into and passes through the receptacle without being in any manner impeded by any interior structure of said receptacle; but any heavy substancessuch as sand, pebbles, particles of rock, nails, or wire, or any pieces of metal, all of which are frequently found in alfalfa, they being of greater specific gravityw ill fall upon the bottom of.

the receptacle between the partitions and will remain upon the rounded bottom'of the receptacle until removed by the means which I will presently describe.

1 employ a receptacle of sufficient horizontal length to insure thelodgment of the heavy particles or substances above referred to be-v fore they would pass through its entire length,

.and sincethe incoming'pipe has a long curve the tendency for a downward throw into the receptacle of the pipe contents is avoided,

and in operation the entire mill output of alfalfa passes through this connecting-receptacle and is blown" upward through pipe 1 and along horizontally over thepartitions 6 "and then again upward through the pipe 3,

the sand, pebbles, pieces of metal, &c., by reason of their greater gravity being invariably deposited upon and along the series of openings 4: and 4 upon the lowest inner lon-.,

gi'tudinal surface of the receptacle and in this manner and by these means are prevented from entering the alfalfa-food product or into the pulverizing machinery at later stages of alfalfa-grinding. f

Uponthe outer cylindrical surface of the receptacle-body 2 and uponf, either side of the'series of openingsieandr lc I construct guideways 5, which form a partial sheath or slideway within which the sliding member, Fig. 2, by its engaging edges is free to move in a longitudinal direction, and in Fig. 3 the dotted lines represent the sliding member in such position.

Integrally and vertically upon the sliding member I construct the series of cross-partitions 6. The sides and lower rim of these cross-partitions just fit within the inner circular body of the receptacle and occupy a crosswise position therein. The upper horizontal rims 6' of these partitions are abruptly bent in the same direction the air is to be blown, and I suitably and rigidly sustain these partitions by means of the supporting-rods 7 bolted thereto.

In order that the small foreign metal or mineral substances above referred to may be quickly and efliciently removed from the receptacle, I employ several devices. I provide a series of round openings 8 upon the sliding member and provide for these openings the corresponding slides 10, which are adapted to slide within their guide-walls l1, and integrally upon the walls of the receptacle I construct the supporting-arms 12 for the pivotally-hung lever 14, adapted to swing in a lengthwise direction with the receptaclebody, and opposite its free end the lever is pivotally hung upon the bearing 15, this bearing being integrally stationed upon the sliding member. If the free end of the lever 14 is now moved tothe right, the sliding member necessarily has a correspondingly reverse longitudinal movement to the left, and the round openings 4 of the receptacle come upon exact vertical alinement with the round openings 8 of the sliding member, and if the slides 10 are drawn back the small foreign substances which may have accumulated during the operation which I have described will drop down and out of the receptacle, and by now moving the free end of the lever to the left the entire sliding member, with its series of partitions, slides, &c., will move to the right, and the round openings 8 of the sliding member will be then located immediately below the axial openings 4 of the receptacle, and any of the above-referred-to foreign substances lodged at the points of those axial openings will also drop down and out of the receptacle. A closure is then made of the openings 8 of the receptacle by means of the slides 10. By a quick movement of the lever backward and forward two or three times, the slides 10 being open, all of the objectionable foreign substances above referred to will drop out of the receptacle.

There is an exact fitting of the several parts, the sliding member, its guides, and the several small slides upon all of the openings of the receptacle-body, so that the suction occasioned by the blower will not be materially lessened in carrying the alfalfa material through the pipes, and the adjustment of the parts is such that a single employee can at any time easily and quickly move the lever backward and forward and cause the dislodgment referred to.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. A separating apparatus of the class described, in combination, comprising a horizontally-disposed receptacle having a longitudinally-extending containing-wall with parallel upper and lower surface portions; a series of apertures formed within said lower surface portion of said containing-wall of said receptacle; an incoming and an out-going pipe connected with said receptacle; a member having awall extending adjacent to, parallel with and upon the outer part of said lower surface portion of said containing-wall of said receptacle; said wall of said member having a series of apertures formed therein; said wall of said member adapted to have a sliding movement, longitudinally, upon said lower surface portion of said receptacle; a series of vertically-disposed struts integrally mounted upon said member and passing within said receptacle; a series of leaves mounted vertically and integrally upon said struts and disposed transversely thereon with reference to said longitudinally-extending wall of said receptacle; said apertures of said containing-wall of said receptacle being in longitudinal alinement with the apertures of said wall of said member; and means to cause an opening and closure of said apertures.

2. In a separating apparatus, the combination of a horizontally-disposed receptacle having a longitudinally-extending containingwall with parallel upper and lower surface portions; a series of apertures formed within said lower surface portion of said containingwall of said receptacle; an entrance-pipe and an exit-pipe connected with said receptacle; a member having a wall extending adjacent to, parallel with and upon the outer part of said lower surface portion of said containing-wall of said receptacle; said wall of said member adapted to have a sliding movement, longitudinally, upon said lower surface portion of said receptacle; a series of vertically-disposed struts integrally mounted upon said member and passing within said receptacle; a series of leaves mounted integrally upon said struts; said series of leaves having body portions and inclinedly-formed free ends; the body portions of said leaves being vertically disposed, and mounted in a manner transversely with reference to said longitudinally extending wall of said receptacle; said apertures of said containing-wall of said receptacle being in longitudinal alinement with the apertures of said wall of said member; and means to cause an opening and closure of said apertures.

3. A separating apparatus, comprising a pipe having a section thereof enlarged in diameter to form a lengthwise-extending, horizontally-disposed,circular, chamber; a slidsimultaneous opening and closure of said apable member mounted upon the lower surface ertures 4 and 4', substantially as shown and of said chamber and adapted to have alengthdescribed. wise movement thereon within the guide 5; In testimony whereof I have afiixed my sig- 5 thedapkertures 4 and 4' formed in the 0lloody 05 nature in presence of two witnesses.

sai c amber; the apertures 8 orme in sai v slidable' member; the struts 7 integrally GEORGE E mounted on said slidable member; the series Witnesses: of leaves 6 mounted upon said struts; the WM. FULLER,-

1 slides 10 and guides 11; andmeans to cause a G'Eo. J. JONES. 

